On Thursday, May 1st, the second graders at Elkhart Elementary in the Aurora Public School District were treated to a wildly imaginative session of storytelling and creativity through the Books and Brushes program. Hosted by Stories and Beyond in collaboration with Community Resources Inc and coordinated by the ever-supportive Sue Edwards, this workshop was nothing short of creative and imaginative.
At the heart of the session was the beloved picture book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. The book, known for its zany premise of food falling from the sky, had students wide-eyed and awestruck with excitement. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett is a delightfully wacky and imaginative tale set in the town of Chewandswallow, where food falls from the sky instead of rain—it never rains rain, it never snows snow, rather giant pancakes, spaghetti storms, and hamburger hail from the sky! But things quickly spiral out of control when the weather turns wild and oversized food causes chaos. The townspeople face a full-blown food calamity, and, in a clever twist, they band together and escape by building boats out of giant stale sandwiches.
But the adventure didn’t stop at the “The End”. In true Books and Brushes fashion, we followed up the reading with a hands-on, book-inspired art activity—one that encouraged every child to think like an author, artist, and mapmaker all at once.
Bookish activities- follow-up activity after reading the story
Each student was given a set of pre-cut landform shapes: rivers, mountains, lakes, valleys, and more. With these colorful pieces in hand, they were invited to imagine their own versions of the story’s iconic town of Chewandswallow. And did they ever deliver!
One by one, fantastical new places began to emerge on the tables:
- The Town of Slurp and Burp, where milkshake geysers erupted every morning.
- The Forest of Fudge, thick with chocolate syrup streams and gumdrop trees.
- The Town of Tangerine, with rooftops made of citrus slices and marshmallow clouds.
- A Smoothie Slush River meandering through valleys of whipped cream hills.
- The iconic Lake of Guacamole, home to nacho boat races and floating tortilla islands.
- Taco Bridge—a crunchy pathway connecting Burrito Bay to Salsa Mountain
Students named their towns, labeled their landforms, and proudly shared the inspiration behind their creations. Some even narrated little stories about the citizens of their delicious lands, adding even more depth to their visual storytelling.
This activity wasn’t just about having fun with food-themed fantasy. It was also a chance to explore geography, language, and storytelling structure in a way that made sense to young learners. With nothing but landform cutouts, markers, and a shared story, and imagination, these second graders created their own towns.
As the session wrapped up, we left with arms full of artwork, hearts full of joy, and the sweet satisfaction that comes from seeing stories come alive in new ways. It’s workshops like these that remind us why we do what we do: to ignite imagination, encourage creativity, and plant the seeds of a lifelong love of reading.
A heartfelt thank you to Community Speakers and to the amazing teachers and staff at Elkhart Elementary for partnering with Stories and Beyond. Your support makes it possible to bring literature to life for young readers and creators.
